Consultation seeks ways to brush up on caring for our teeth

Dentists and their patients are being asked to give their views on a new plan to further improve Scotland’s oral health.

The consultation seeks views on the Scottish Government’s proposals to reduce health inequalities, shift dental services to a more preventative approach – initially for children – and to meet the challenges of an ageing population.

The consultation runs for 12 weeks and can be completed online. A number of face-to-face sessions will also be carried out with dentists and patients around the country.

Aileen Campbell, Minister for Public Health and Sport, said: “There have been some significant improvements to oral health in recent years, particularly for children.

“We’ve seen a reduction in the level of tooth decay, increasing access to NHS dentists and the success of our Childsmile programme.

“Despite these successes it’s vital that we continue to look forward and make further improvements. Tooth decay is almost always preventable so there is no reason for a child to have poor teeth.”

She added: “We need to have even more focus on prevention, and I want to hear dentists’ and patients’ views on how we can achieve that.”

The British Dental Association (BDA) is supporting the consultation and encouraging its members to participate.

David McColl, vice chairman of the BDA’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said: “Getting prevention right is key to the future of oral health in Scotland.”

Scotland’s Oral Health Plan, a consultation exercise on the future of oral health, can be viewed and completed at www.gov.scot/oralhealthplan

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